Hi Susun,
There seems to be a lot of controversy over whether or not fermented foods and vinegars are appropriate for those of us with candida. Personally, I eat them on an almost daily basis, but am often told I shouldn’t. I can understand not eating when your body isn’t able to tolerate them, but if it is, why shouldn’t I enjoy their highly beneficial nutritional qualities? How do you feel about this?

Susun’s response:
Some people worry that eating vinegar will upset the balance of gut flora and contribute to an overgrowth of candida yeast in the intestines. Some people have been told to avoid vinegar altogether. My experience has led me to believe that herbal vinegars help those with candida overgrowth, perhaps because they’re so mineral rich. I’ve worked with women who have suffered for years and kept to a strict “anti-candida” diet with little improvement and seen them get better fast when they add nourishing herbal vinegars and fermented foods such as sauerkraut, miso, and yogurt to their diets.

To make an herbal vinegar, fill any size jar with fresh-cut aromatic herbs: leaves, stalks, flowers, fruits, roots, and even nuts can be used. For best results and highest mineral content, be sure the jar is well filled and chop the herb finely.

Pour room-temperature vinegar into the jar until it is full. Cover jar: A plastic screw-on lid, several layers of plastic or wax paper held on with a rubber band, or a cork are the best covers. Avoid metal lids—or protect them well with plastic—as vinegar will corrode them.

Label the jar with the name of the herb and the date. Put it some place away from direct sunlight, though it doesn’t have to be in the dark, and someplace that isn’t too hot, but not too cold either. A kitchen cupboard is fine, but choose one that you open a lot so you remember to use your vinegar, which will be ready in six weeks.

You can decant your vinegar into a beautiful serving container, or use it right from the jar you made it in.

I use regular pasteurized apple cider vinegar from the supermarket as the menstrum for my herbal vinegars. I avoid white vinegar. Malt vinegar, rice vinegar, and wine vinegar can be used but they are more expensive and may overpower the flavor of the herbs.

Apple cider vinegar has been used as a health-giving agent for centuries. Hippocrates, father of medicine, is said to have used only two remedies: honey and apple cider vinegar. Some of the many benefits of apple cider vinegar include: better digestion, reduction of cholesterol, improvements in blood pressure, prevention/care of osteoporosis, normalization of thyroid/metabolic functioning, possible reduction of cancer risk, and lessening of wrinkles and grey hair.

Leave a reply

Susun Weed

CURRENTLY NOT ACCEPTING NEW QUESTIONS

Susun is the voice of the Wise Woman tradition and is known internationally as an extraordinary teacher with an encyclopedic knowledge of herbs and health. For more than thirty years she has been restoring herbs as women's common medicine, empowering women to care for themselves.

Susun has appeared on national television and radio, including National Public Radio (NPR), NBC News and CNN.

She raises dairy goats, trains apprentices, and oversees the work of more than four hundred correspondence course students. She is also the editor-in-chief of Ash Tree Publishing, founder of the Wise Woman Center, creator of five websites, and author of several books on women’s health.

Please note: In this column, Planet Thrive presents answers taken from previously published works of Susun's that relate directly to the question being posed. Susun Weed will answer member questions as her schedule allows. In some cases, Karen Joy (Susun Weed's apprentice) may answer questions on Susun's behalf.
This content is not intended to replace conventional western medical treatment. Any suggestions made and all herbs listed are not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease, condition or symptom. Personal directions and use should be provided by a clinical herbalist or other qualified healthcare practitioner with a specific formula for you. All material in this column is provided for general information purposes only and should not be considered medical advice or consultation. Always check with your personal physician when you have a question pertaining to your health and healthcare.
All content copyrighted by Susun Weed and may appear on her website and in other published works. For permission to reuse her material, please email her through SusunWeed.com.

Disclaimer:

Please note: Planet Thrive is currently funded by Google sponsored ads located beneath the articles posted on our site and affiliate partnerships. We do not control Google ads content and our editorial content is free of any commercial influence. Any information collected by our website, such as email address when posting comments to articles, will never be passed on to any third party, unless required by law. Click the following links to read the privacy policy and terms of service for the community section of our site, hosted by Ning, Inc.